Safari for Windows cannot handle PDF files. Need Help!

Question

Level 1

51 points

Safari for Windows cannot handle PDF files. Need Help!

We operate a Web-based business administration and accounting system for small and medium businesses throughout the US, Canada, U.k, and Australia. We have started to see more of our Windows clients using the Safari for Windows Web browser.

Our product produces dozens of PDF formatted reports. A major stumbling block we have with Safari for Windows is that when a client runs a report in our software the PDF file is simply downloaded to their default download location and nothing else happens.

In Safari on Mac, the PDF file would automatically cause Acrobat Reader to launch. This is the desired behavior. Firefox and IE ask me what I would like to do with the PDF file (open or save). I could not find any options in Safari for Windows to control this behavior. Our clients are complaining that they have to take several extra steps to open PDF files in Safari that are handled automatically in Firefox and IE.

Is there another way to configure Acrobat to open a downloaded PDF file automatically either in Safari, Acrobat itself, or via some Windows configuration? If we cannot find a way to do this, we will have to eliminate support for Safari on Windows until this capability exists.

PowerMac G4 MDD, Xserve Dual G5, Macbook C2Duo, Mac OS X (10.4.9), OS X Server, OS X Client

Posted on Jan 25, 2008 9:33 AM

Reply

Answer 1

iBod

Level 7

29,345 points

Jan 25, 2008 9:39 AM in response to Jon Koerber

Hi,

In Safari on Mac, the PDF file would automatically cause Acrobat Reader to launch

On the Macs, Safari has native PDF handling (i.e. it doesn't require Adobe Reader, but will let Adobe handle PDFs if it is installed.)

The free Adobe Reader 8.1 should install a plugin that works with Safari for Windows. See this page: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/plugins.html

Reply

Answer 2

Jon Koerber Author

Level 1

51 points

Jan 25, 2008 10:02 AM in response to iBod

This is not the issue. Since our application is generating PDF files on the fly, Safari does not open the PDF within the browser using the embedded Acrobat plugin. This is NOT the desired functionality anyhow as we do not want our application page replaced by the embedded PDF viewer.

There are many Web-based applications that create reports of various kinds in PDF format that will run into this same problem.

There needs to be a way in Safari (or in Acrobat or Windows) to say "if you download a PDF file from Safari, launch Acrobat and open that file."

This is done seamlessly in Firefox with the simple pop up window that asks you what to do with the file, either open it with a defined application, or save the file to disk.

Any thoughts on how to get this to work, or how I tell Apple there needs to be an option to allow Safari to push streamed or downloaded file types to their correct creator application?

Reply

Answer 3

iBod

Level 7

29,345 points

Jan 25, 2008 12:31 PM in response to Jon Koerber

There needs to be a way in Safari (or in Acrobat or Windows) to say "if you download a PDF file from Safari, launch Acrobat and open that file."

I'm not on a Windows machine to check at the moment, but in the Mac version you can set in the Safari preferences an option to 'Open safe files after downloading'. I wouldn't be surprised if this were missing from the Windows version though due to the additional security implications this could have on Windows. There is no ability to configure different files types to be opened by specific applications from within Safari, unlike Firefox for example.

You can however open files simply by double clicking the icon in the Downloads window that Safari pops up when a download occurs.

... how I tell Apple there needs to be an option to allow Safari to push streamed or downloaded file types to their correct creator application?

On a Mac, Safari menu -> Report Bugs to Apple...
On a Windows PC, Safari Help Menu -> Report Bugs to Apple... (I think)

Reply

Answer 4

Jon Koerber Author

Level 1

51 points

Jan 25, 2008 3:51 PM in response to iBod

... an option to 'Open safe files after downloading'. I wouldn't be surprised if this were missing from the Windows version though due to the additional security implications this could have on Windows. There is no ability to configure different files types to be opened by specific applications from within Safari, unlike Firefox for example.

Indeed the "Open 'safe' files after downloading" is not an option on the Windows version. Since security is a big issue on Windows, Safari should offer to "open" or "download" at the time a new file stream is detected.

You can however open files simply by double clicking the icon in the Downloads window that Safari pops up when a download occurs.

Obviously this isn't an option for us as it adds at least two more clicks or steps each time a client runs a report. They don't have this issue today in any other browser on Mac or Windows so is an unacceptable option.

Reply

Answer 5

iBod

Level 7

29,345 points

Jan 25, 2008 4:42 PM in response to Jon Koerber

They don't have this issue today in any other browser on Mac or Windows so is an unacceptable option.

What you want can't be done then I'm afraid.

Safari should offer to "open" or "download" at the time a new file stream is detected

As mentioned before, the only way to have Safari open then PDFs is via the Adobe Reader plugin. People have requested this feature for the Mac version quite a few times now (and we're now on the third version, so it doesn't appear to be high on the priority list).

It sounds like you'll have to warn your clients off Safari on Windows for the time being.

If you want to chase it up further with Apple directly, you can try submitting a bug report at [developer.apple.com/bugreporter|http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter>.

All I can say is good luck! 😉

Reply